Remember the Mockingjay
by love-alternative-forever
Summary: I was reading "Catching Fire" and decided to do a little mini-story that I thought might be enjoyable and entertaining while being heartbreaking and upsetting at the same time.


_No Copyright intended._

**(Hey, I was just reading **_**Catching Fire**_**and this idea popped into my mind. Please let me know what you think. I may post another part because I have a plan for later on.)**

Remember the Mockingjay

It's here. The day I have been dreading, the day of my plan for rebellion, which will probably be my last. It is also the day of my wedding with Peeta. I can't help feel bad for Peeta when I think of tonight, as I have not told him my plan, but I know if I did tell him, he would refuse to accept it.

As of right now, I am in my home in Victors' Village and I am getting changed into my wedding dress. To make President Snow happy, I picked out one of his favorites. It's strapless with beads around the top, which is a tight-fitting corset, and a flowing bottom made up of smooth, white material that is just slightly above my ankles. For shoes, I have stunning white heels that have beads along the top. While I have been dreading this wedding, not because of my soon-to-be-husband, but because of what may happen to everyone in our district and the surrounding districts.

None of them know what I plan to do. They would've tried to talk me out of it, and I cannot let that happen. What the capitol has been doing is wrong, and I will not let it continue any longer. Ever since the damn new peacekeepers came into District 12, nothing has been the same, and it will probably never be the same again. If my loved ones knew exactly what I planned to do, they would try to convince me not to, even Gale, who is waiting for an uprising to occur so he can get revenge for the whipping he received. I do not want this horrible life continuing any longer, so I plan to start a district wide rebellion that includes every single person in the village as we all have something to be angry for.

[At the Wedding]

"Katniss, are you ready?" I hear Haymitch ask me as we prepare to walk down the aisle.

I slowly nod my head as a tear slides down my cheek. Before Haymitch or anyone else can see, I wipe it away and plaster a smile onto my face. Just as the smile is on my face, we appear at the end of the aisle and start making our way towards the altar.

It doesn't take very long to reach the altar and for Haymitch to hand me off to Peeta, who is smiling as wide as can be, completely unaware of any doubt or fear in my mind. Why would he see these things? I want to marry him, they are not about this fact. As I have already stated, they are about what will happen tonight and afterwards.

Since the wedding is occurring in the Capitol, everyone is required to watch and I have asked President Snow to have everyone tune in later tonight around 1 AM so we can thank everyone for watching and say a few words. He said he would only allow this if he is present as well as some peacekeepers. I quickly accept his terms and we agree that everyone will be required to tune in at 1 AM exactly so the happy couple can say a few words. What President Snow does not know is that Peeta is unaware of this meeting and I will be the only one present, claiming he doesn't feel well. To ensure Peeta will not be there, I have some sleep medicine in my bag.

I think about all of these things as Haymitch and I walk down the aisle; reviewing the last detail of my plan just as we reach the altar. After saying our vows, Peeta and I exchange a passionate kiss and get escorted to our reception with guests that were strictly invite-only. Peeta and I planned the time for the reception and figured 1 AM was a reasonable time to end since we had awoken at around 8 AM to get ready for the wedding.

After dancing for what seems like forever, it is around 12:30 AM and we are thanking our guests for celebrating with us as they exit. When it is 12:45, Peeta and I walk up to our room, and prepare for bed. When Peeta asks for some water, I do not hesitate to put the sleep medicine into the water and give it to him. It is not as much as in the first hunger games we were in together, just enough to knock him out for a few hours, which is just enough time for me to get what I want to done.

Just after Peeta has fallen asleep, there is a knock on our door. When I open it, a camera crew is standing outside with President Snow and some peacekeepers. I tell them Peeta does not feel well and is already asleep, asking if we could go somewhere more private. They are upset that it will only be me, but at least they try to hide it. I lead them to a different room just a small walk from mine and Peeta's room, having planned this location earlier and having everything set up.

As they set up, I get the peacekeepers, camera crew and President Snow drinks, slipping some sleep medicine into them. I then sit in the correct location with my arms resting behind my back and dig my nail into my skin making a small mark that bleeds only slightly. I continue to do this until I know the words REMEMBER and THE are ready. I then switch arms and repeat this process until the word MOCKINGJAY is ready, too.

The camera crew is ready and start recording just as the clock strikes 1 AM. President Snow and the peacekeepers look at me expectantly, so I start to speak.

"Hello, everyone probably knows who I am. I am Katniss Everdeen and I would like to thank you all for tuning into the wedding this afternoon. I would also like to say that Peeta was supposed to be here, but he drank a little too much and wasn't feeling well, so he went to bed." I pause slightly and take a deep breath with a small, mocking smile plays on my lips. "He wishes to thank you all as well and wishes the best for all of you.

"The both of us would also like to thank President Snow for allowing us to wed in the Capitol, picking out my dress, and helping out with the entire occasion. President Snow, would you come over here please?" I smile at him behind the camera and see him raise an eyebrow as he comes over to where I am sitting. I stand when he gets closer and hug him, the wounds still perfect for my plan. His suit is white and shows the words REMEMBER THE MOCKINGJAY across his back. As I am hugging him, I look over his shoulder and see everyone else is asleep. I smirk to myself and look at the President. He is asleep as well. This is all working out perfectly."

I release President Snow when I am sure that now is the time for the viewers to see. I quickly show the audience his back and read the words printed there in my own blood, "Remember the mockingjay. I know people everywhere are suffering from disease, hunger and torturing from the peacekeepers. Stand up for yourselves and rebel! Create an uprising that no amount of peacekeepers can bring down. I started this rebellion the moment I came up with the idea to eat those berries if there could only be one victor. I now know that anything can start a rebellion, even a simple berry. I am continuing the rebellion that I started and I want your help. Please help me end the dreaded Hunger Games and bring prove to the President and the peacekeepers that we can take care of ourselves and we do not need to kill each other in order for them to have a functioning government. In my opinion, this government is NOT functional. We are tearing each other apart for the entertainment of others. Is that fair? No, so let's put an end to this shit and run our own lives."

"I want to take a moment to apologize to those that have lost their lives rebelling. I have a substantial amount of respect for those citizens because they were following their hearts and standing up for themselves. I am not saying that you should go die to stand up for what you believe in, I am saying that you should fight back and make not only everyone's lives better, but more importantly those of your loved ones."

I am starting to feel slightly faint from losing blood through my wounds so I decide to wrap it up, "My main point is that you remember the mockingjay and how it was created from the striving of another species to survive. YOU can be the jabberjays that create the mockingjays and create a new, better community. Destroy the Hunger Games and live better lives, without fearing losing your children. Do not let the Capitol decide your future and take away your freedom. It is your future, choose your own destiny. Thank you, and goodbye." With that, I walk out of the camera's shot and turn stop recording.

My dress is tinged crimson where my blood had dripped, but I could care less about that. I had gotten my message across and I couldn't be any happier. I had defied the Capitol again, and while I should be most worried about them, I was only worried about people following the hearts and sticking up for themselves, because if they don't then my entire speech was useless.

When I got back to the room, I found Peeta was awake. He seemed upset when I opened the door and walked in. I quickly walked into the bathroom and got into the shower. I was careful to conceal the bloodstains on my dress and wash my cuts thoroughly to avoid infection. I then covered then in bandages and put on a long-sleeve shirt and shorts to sleep in.

When I walked back into the room, Peeta was sitting in the same position, so I turned on light and looked at him, "Peeta? Are you okay?"

He didn't move anything aside from his mouth as he said, "How could you?"

"How could I what?" I asked, amazed that those three words could hurt me so much when I did not even know what he was talking about. There was no way he had seen the broadcast, I had given him enough of the sleep medicine to knock him out for more than the hour I was gone for.

He just shook his head and laid back down, "You drugged me again so you could go somewhere…" he said, mumbling something that I could not make out.

I quickly crawled into bed next to him and turned on a dim light. I had expected Peeta to be angry, but I hadn't expected what I saw. He was crying. This upset me, so I hugged him. At first, he tried to refuse the hug, but eventually gave in. I looked up at him and wiped away his tears gently, "What was the last thing you said, I couldn't understand you?"

"I-I…" He stuttered, not expecting the question, and not wanting to tell me.

"Please tell me…" I hugged him tighter, trying to reassure him that I wouldn't mind what he said.

"I said that you had probably gone off to rendezvous with Gale or something like that and hadn't wanted me to know…" he stated simply then turned over so I was facing his back.

My eyes teared slightly at this suggestion. After all we had been through, he didn't trust me? I was starting to love him the way he loved me, it was no longer pretend, when underneath it all, he still didn't believe me and didn't trust me. That fact alone was like a punch in the gut. I quickly went to Peeta's side of the bed angrily and stood in front of him. He looked up at me, tears still falling down his face.

The tears had started falling down my face and I glared at him. "I cannot believe you don't trust me," I whispered, "The worst part of it all is that I am actually in love with you. It isn't pretend for me anymore." With that I turned toward the door, walked out, and slammed the door shut. I know that I had practically told him that no matter what he said, I wouldn't get mad, but I wasn't expecting that. I was expecting something about the rebellion speech and how he had wanted to be there.

We were staying in a very large house, so I walked through hallways and doors to find some private room where Peeta wouldn't find me. As it turns out, I had found some sort of bath-spa for the inhabitant of the house we were in. I locked the door and gladly put some lavender and vanilla into the tub to calm me down, along with soothing bath salts and bubble-bath and lit some candles around the room. I then filled the tub with hot water and waited for it to fill.

When it was the right temperature and almost full, I undressed and got into the water. I quickly relaxed and closed my eyes, enjoying the repose. This is the last time for awhile that I will get to relax, so I might as well enjoy it, I thought to myself.

Just as the last of my nerves were fading, I thought I saw a movement in the corner of the room. When I looked to the location of the movement, I didn't see anything, so I figured it was just a flame from one of the candles flickering. As I started to relax again, I thought saw a reflection in the mirror that was hanging on the wall. I knew for sure that what I saw was a human form, but when looking around, no one was anywhere to be found.

Still slightly frightened, I settled back into the tub thinking it may just be my nerves and nightmares from the games coming back to haunt me even though I am far from sleep at his point. I closed my eyes and breathed in and out, trying to steady my heart-rate.

Just as my heart-rate had slowed and I had convinced myself that I was being crazy, I felt a cold, metal object against my throat. When I tried to move, I heard a raspy voice in my ear, "Don't move unless I tell you to, or I will slit your throat. Now, do not scream or I will kill you straight away, but I promise you it will be a slow, cruel death." I recognized the voice, but couldn't place the name with a face. "Put this on, then get back in the tub," The voice commanded as the person it belonged to held up my wedding gown.

I gasped, wondering how they had gotten it with Peeta in the room. This made me wonder if Peeta was even if the room, and if he was okay no matter where he was. I instantly felt bad for leaving him in our room alone and probably asleep, worried about me, or feeling guilty.

Apparently I wasn't moving fast enough when I got out of the tub because the figure pulled me out and pushed me to the floor, kicking me a few time in punishment. I tried not to cry out in agony, but I could already feel bruising where they had kicked me. After receiving the kicks, I quickly got into my dress then got back into the water, not wanting to be kicked anymore.

"You screamed." Was all that was whispered in my ear as the figure reopened the wounds from earlier, to make the words REMEMBER THE MOCKINGJAY appear again. This time they were much deeper as a knife was used. Again, I couldn't help but scream in agony as I felt the knife scraping against me skin, making scars that would most likely remain until long after tonight.

In response to the screaming, the figure dunked me underwater and held me there, almost drowning me and pulling me up just before I would have passed out. "You screamed again." The figure then placed my cut arms into the water to bleed out and die my dress and the water a disturbing shade of red.

I could feel myself growing fainter as there was a pounding at the door. The figure turned stabbed me a few more times, then secured the door shut, making sure it would stay shut against the pounding it was receiving and would continue to receive for quite some time.

When the figure was done, he placed the knife in my hand and I noticed he was wearing gloves. His prints would not be on the knife and it would probably be thought that I had committed suicide. The only person that would know I didn't, and wasn't my killer may be pounding at the door. After placing the knife in my hand, the killer exited out of a window in the bathroom, quickly closing it, locking it, and walking away.

The pounding on my door continued and the person was not giving up. The person behind the door kept calling my name. It was Peeta, he had found me and was asking me to open the door. He kept asking, worry entering his voice when I wasn't responding and wasn't opening the door.

But I was too weak to move now, most of my blood drained. Instead I called out, "Peeta!"

"Katniss? Open the door! Please? What's going on?"

"Peeta, I love you! And I didn't do this!" I tell him, using the last of my strength.

As I said the last part, his pounding got faster and more powerful while he said, "Katniss? What didn't you do?" he was panting now, exhausted from banging his body against the door to get in. At this point, I was too tired to even speak. I knew what was happening and the only think I could was cry, so that's what I did. I couldn't cry audibly of course, it took too much energy and I wanted to see Peeta one last time before I passed, so I cried silently through the pain and waited, knowing he could break through.

Just as the last ounce of my strength was fading, he broke through and gasped, taken aback by what he saw. "Katniss? Oh god! HELP!" he screamed out. "Who did this to you?" he demanded, but I could only look at him and shake my head ever so slightly to tell him I didn't know. He struggled to come over to the tub and I could see more tears were streaming down his face. This made me cry more as I felt everything starting to fade, including my vision, and hearing. Peeta reached into the tub, pulled my hand out to hold and kissed me, "I'm sorry I said what I did. I didn't mean it; I trust you and know you were probably doing something important. I love you Katniss, please don't leave me."

As I was blinking my eyes, my eyelids started to feel heavy and while I knew Peeta was still holding my hand, I could no longer feel his hand. I could still hear and I heard footsteps run into the room and another gasp. I figured it was Gale or Haymitch from the sound of it and I knew for sure when the person said, "Catnip? Peeta?" Gale then ran next to Peeta and started to cry from the scene in the tub.

"I love both of you, tell everyone I love them and that I didn't do this to myself. Remember the Mockingjay." From not moving, I have barely enough energy to whisper these sentences, but I need to get them out. When I finish saying this, my limbs go numb and I fade into blackness, never hearing another sound, seeing another sight, or feeling anything other than when Peeta first grabbed my hand from the water. My last thought that was not spoken is, I hope Peeta is able to move on from my death on our wedding night and get another wife, who is willing to have children, and live happily ever after with her.


End file.
